This is loosely based on Austin by Blake Shelton, hence the title.
I do not own Austin & Ally.
Warning: UNEDITED
She rose from her sunlight drenched covers and stretched. After glancing around the room, (and nearly blinding herself from the sun shining through the window) she noticed that something felt off. In her sleepy stage, she wasn't sure what was wrong or if it was just her morning nerves kicking in. She had a number of irrational fears that enjoyed poking their heads out at the most ungodly hours of the night and early ones of the morning. Not having enough energy to overthink anything, and seeing that she just woke up, she brushed off the prior and decided it was probably the latter. To save her the trouble, she went with it without giving the thought a second glance. Moving slightly slower than a sloth, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and dragged her body down the stairs in search of something that would increase her mood by a million. Food.
She munched slowly on her soggy muffin. They never turned out right for her. They were too wet or too dry, never in-between. The uneasy feeling she woke with somewhat ceased, but she would be lying if she said it went away completely. Shrugging it off, she climbed the stairs to start her day, but really she was going to lie across her bed checking Tweeter until she got the motivation to get back up again.
On the other side of the town, a blonde male who knew the uneasy girl was also waking up. He did not have a bad feeling about today like the brunette that started her day before him. He was causing the bad feeling. Today was the day he was leaving. Without a trace. He planned on going sometime before lunch and not leaving a note or voicemail or text. Absolutely nothing.
He had been planning this for months. He talked endlessly about it, but he knew no one thought he would actually fall through with it. It had taken quite a bit of thought, which was something he wasn't used to. But something like this needed a lot of thinking and consideration. One could not make a decision that would be regretted later on down the road. He thought about it for a good six months and spent the last four planning it. A lot of things went into his verdict, but he surpassed all the guilt he would feel leaving her like this. This was probably the most he had ever thought in his life, and the second most difficult thing he would do. The first would be actually doing it. But he had to do it.
He missed his old life. Sure, Miami was great and all, but Maine was where he belonged. He could feel it. They moved when he was fourteen. He had friends and a life and a town. But he had to leave all of those behind when his father made them move. Now, with him being nearly twenty-one, he was of age to move to where ever he so chooses. And like he had planned, he was gone by noon.
It took her three and a half days and an hour-long lunch with Mike and Mimi to come to the conclusion that he had actually left. He left Miami, he left his parents, and he left her. She didn't think he had it in him, but apparently she was very wrong. Because now, there she was on her couch, surrounded by a million and two tissues, half melted ice cream, and five Nicholas Sparks movies. While digging through the kitchen, she saw the immediate pain reliever, known as vodka, but her better judgment won. She would not follow in the footsteps of her father. The night continued on and so did her continuous Nicholas Sparks marathon. She fell asleep as the credits of The Notebook cascaded down the screen.
The house was dark when she woke up. The TV had somehow shut itself off and a blanket was magically placed over her. Whoever the intruder was (she later learned it was Trish) left the – now – melted ice cream on the table and the tissue mess as she left it. Groaning slightly, she hauled herself up from the couch and placed the tub of ice cream in the trash along with as many tissues she could grab. Roughly five minutes later, she stood in the doorway between the kitchen and living room with her arms draped around her body and staring off into space.
It was barely passed three in the morning, and she had no idea why she was up. She wandered around the empty house for a while, walking in and out of every room recalling all the memories they held. She then sprawled out attempting to try to fall asleep. But she knew that wouldn't be an easy task. Her mind was more awake than ever. There were so many unanswered questions she had regarding the blonde that left three four days prior. Even the small thought of him upset her. The wound was still very fresh and delicate. We were so in love. What happened? She thought as she drifted off into a restless night of sleep.
The boy was already starting to feel the guilt eat at him. He should not have left. It was a bad idea from the start. He knew thinking was a bad thing. If she were with him, she would scold him and then laugh at his toddler antics. But she wasn't there. She was on the other side of the country, thousands of miles away from him. God, he was so stupid, thinking Maine was home. Home was where ever she was. Of course, though, he was stuck in the North until he could make enough money to get back down to her. And he had no idea how long that would take, but he was planning on doing whatever he could to earn it.
A month after his unexplained disappearance, she met with Mimi for coffee and pastries from a new bakery that opened near their mattress store. She was doing much better than before, which was no surprise. They both had time to heal a bit since then.
"Any word from him, Mrs. Moon?" Ally spoke out after the silence was too much to bear.
"Actually, Ally, yes." Ally froze in mid sip. "He called a few nights ago saying that he needed to clear his mind. He didn't give his location or how long he would be gone. But it was from a payphone I think. I tried calling him back a few times, but different people answered every time." Ally nodded and finished her coffee and perfectly cooked muffin before placing a few dollars on the table to cover her meal and excusing herself from the outing.
Ten months passed before he had the nerve to call her. He didn't have any clue whether it would be the same number or what to say. It was a long shot to say the least. Three rings had come and gone when her recorded voice came through the other line.
"If you're calling about the piano, I already sold it. If this is Tuesday night then I'm out with the girls. If you have something to sell then you're wasting your time because I'm not buying. Sorry. If it's anyone else, wait for the dial tone, you know what to do." He heard something that sounded like a low sigh before she spoke again. "And P.S. If this is Austin, I still love you."
He abruptly hung up and dropped the phone as he slid down the wall to the floor. He couldn't believe she would hold on to someone – him – for that long. And to think, he gave up this amazing love for stupid remorse he didn't even need. All he had managed to do was cause himself pain, his parents to worry, and Ally – he didn't even want to think about what he caused her. If his pain was as bad as it was, he couldn't imagine what she went through. He knew she would think it was her fault and if she had done this or that then they'd still be together. He wanted so badly to tell her that it had nothing to do with her, but he couldn't find the strength or the courage to call her. That is, until now.
When she arrived home on Tuesday, she saw he had three missed calls. One from her mom, one from Mimi, and one from an unknown number. She called her mom and Mimi back but left the unknown one alone. It was most likely a one-eight-hundred number. Stupid toll-free people. She thought. After she caught up on Tweeter and her phone calls, she fell asleep peacefully. She no longer thought about his, even though her voicemail proved otherwise. She did love him still, absolutely, but she stopped letting him hurt her. It only took three or four months after he left for her to come to terms with it and stop blaming herself.
He called once more on Friday. This time, he really had no idea what he would say, but at least he knew it was her number. That was a plus. Like last time, three rings came first, then Ally's prerecorded voice.
"If it's Friday night, I'm at the karaoke bar. And first thing on Saturday, if it doesn't rain, I'll be at the beach with the girls. We'll be gone all weekend long. But I'll call you back when I come home on Sunday, probably in the afternoon." She paused again, seeming unsure if she should say it again. Another sigh went through after a long pause. "And P.S. If this is Austin, I still love you."
This time, he knew what he was doing. He left his number, but nothing else. Saturday came and went. By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around, he thought he would die of anticipation. This had been the longest weekend ever, and not in a good way.
Ally was starting to lose hope that she would ever see him or even hear from him again. Mimi and she spoke on Friday about their lives. He hadn't talked to them since the last time she and Mimi had talked in that bakery. When she came home from her beach vacation, she only had one missed call and a voicemail. She listened to it and noticed how familiar the voice sounded, but she couldn't figure out whom it was. She called the number back.
He saw the phone light up and heard it ring. The loud noise he once found so obnoxious was now music to his ears. He calmed himself and picked it up on the second ring. He sighed, and then finally spoke.
"If you're calling about my heart, it's still yours." He heard a faint gasp come from the other line and couldn't bite back the smile.
"I should have listened to it a little more. Then maybe it wouldn't have taken me so long to figure out where I belong. And by the way, this isn't a machine you're talking to." By now all he could hear was faint sobs and a bit of sniffling. He was using everything in him not to cry too. He at least needed to get this last part out. Then he could cry as much as he needed to.
"If you couldn't tell, this is Austin." He paused like she had in her recording. Then he proceeded to sign just as she had. He wondered if she could tell what he was about to say.
"And I still love you." The quiet sobs he once heard were now loud and made their appearance very known. He was crying too, balling even.
"I still love you," He repeated into the phone, making sure she heard him.
"Austin." She sobbed back at him.
Then the call was disconnected.
After a lot of consideration, I have decided to turn this into a three-shot. Be on the look ou for the other parts! :)